Re-cap of my final week in Tanzania

On Monday I went to visit the Mamas! It was so great to see them again and working harder than ever! I spent the majority of the morning helping them prepare chapattis for the Mtoni secondary school children and then visited them in the kitchen for part of the afternoon.

I was also finally able to meet Esther! Esther is the Western Heads East liaison here in Tanzania. When I arrived in January she was off on maternity leave so I didn’t get a chance to see her. I have heard so many positive things about her, so it was great to finally get a chance to talk to her. She updated me with where things are at with all of the women’s groups in Mwanza and I provided her with some additional information from when I was here from January to March.

Making Chapattis

Me and Mama Elizabeth

On Tuesday I went to St. Augustine University to meet up with a friend I met when I was in Mwanza from January to March. It was really nice to be in the university atmosphere and of course to visit Lina again! The students are just finishing up their last month of classes before exams begin in June. Lina is in her final year and about to graduate with her bachelor’s in Sociology. I attended a Human Rights lecture with her, and she also brought me to her home, which is conveniently located right beside the university! We had a really nice day together, and I am really going miss Lina when I go back to Canada! On Saturday she aIso invited me to “Shafiq” beach located just a short distance from SAUT and located right on Lake Victoria. Her and a group of her classmates had arranged a gathering to discuss various topics including; graduation, comprehensive exams, defending their research, and opportunities in today’s job market. It was a wonderful afternoon and the view was gorgeous! I just want to say thank-you to Lina (who I know frequently reads my blog), I am so happy I met you, I have learned so much from you, and have enjoyed experiencing what University is like in Tanzania. I wish you all the best in the future, you are a very smart girl and I know you can accomplish anything you set your mind to! I hope to see you in Canada one day!

Lina and I at SAUT (ready for lecture!)

Lake Victoria

Shafiq beach

Me with the SAUT students!

Wednesday I made my final visit to the ChemChem program with Mama Lau. This is a program that I attended multiple times during my first 2 months in Mwanza and I thoroughly enjoyed it! It is a NGO that focuses on health and nutrition issues for mothers and their malnourished children specifically those under 5 years of age. They visit different regions in Mwanza and provide nutrition education and demonstrations on how to prepare Uji (thin porridge made of a mixture of millet, rice, soy, and maize flours). Although it is very difficult to understand what is being said because it is completely in Swahili, I am still happy to go and see such a positive program being delivered to the community free of charge.

Mmmmm Uji!

Visit to Bugando!

This week I also had the wonderful opportunity to visit Bugando hospital. My teacher friend from Mtoni secondary school, Perpetua, has a husband who is a working as a nurse in the adult intensive care unit there. I was talking to him the other day and mentioned the possibility of me coming to work with him one day just to observe and get a sense of what it is like working in a hospital in Tanzania. In addition, I am interested in nursing as a possible career so I thought it would be neat to see how things operate. He ran things by the matron, and of course it was fine, so I spent that day shadowing him and touring the hospital. It’s definitely very very different here, not near as advanced in terms of facilities, equipment, food etc, etc. In fact, the food preparation that day was taking place outside at the back of the hospital because the stoves weren’t working and there was water leaking all over the kitchen. They were cooking massive amounts of ugali, rice, beans, and meat in huge pots using fire wood! It looked like such intense work! But, I guess you have to do what you have to do, they have 800 people they have to serve, and they won’t let broken equipment get in the way!

 There is also a fee required to be treated which is a huge burden and limits many people for being able to receive the appropriate medical care. Overall, it was a really great experience, and made me feel even more fortunate for the health care system I have access to in Canada.

On Friday I went back to Buswelu primary school to pick up some cards/question sheets that I had left with the headmaster back in March for the students. I was pleasantly surprised to find them all completed wonderfully by the class 5 and 6 students with pictures included and everything! I am looking forward to bringing them back to show the children at Tecumseh school in London Ontario.

Note: The Western Heads East project has facilitated a twinning program between the Tecumseh School in London, Ontario and the Buswelu Elementary School in Mwanza, Tanzania. Since 2005, the Tecumseh Public School has contributed to the building of desks and has raised funds to support other needed supplies.

The questions that I had them complete were:

1.       What is your favourite thing about Tanzania?

2.       What is your favourite food?

3.       What is one question you have about Canada?

I really enjoyed looking through their answers and the pictures they drew!

Here is a little taste of some of the answers provided:

Question 1 Answers	Question 2 Answers	Question 3 Answers
Traditional Dances	Rice and Beans	When are you coming to Tanzania?
Tanzania’s National Parks (i.e. Serengeti, Ngorogoro)	Ugali and Tilapia	Do you learn Kiswahili at school in Canada?
Tanzania’s National Flag	Fried Sardines (dagaa)	How is the weather in Canada this month? Is it warm or cold?
Lake Victoria	Pilau	How is life in Canada in 2011?
Mount Kilimanjaro	Rice and Meat	How do you get to school? By foot or bus?
Mineral Resources	Ugali	Are there many children at schools in Canada?

Buswelu Primary School

Wonderful work of Buswelu Students!

A few things I’ve learned from being in Tanzania for 4 months:

-    Always carry toilet paper with you! It’s a luxury when toilet paper is provided in the bathroom, or let alone having a bathroom to access (isn’t that what bushes are for?)

-     If you’re lucky enough to experience a bus ride in Africa, girls wear a skirt!!

-     Having power is somewhat of a luxury. When the power is on, charge ALL your electronics!

-     Just because you are walking on the sidewalk does not mean that you won’t be hit by a daladala, car, or motorbike!

-     "Muzungu's" (aka non-African people, usually white skinned) are a hot item to be stared at, waved at, pointed at, and frantically yelled at with a Muzungu!!"

-     There are no fenced in fields of grazing animals. Single cows and goats are literally tied up in the ditches at the side of the road

-    There are many signs in the town of Arusha that say: Street Kids + Glue = Drugs
this is very true, the street kids very openly do drugs. There are organizations set up to help these children but they are choosing the streets and the drugs. I have seen them throw food to the ground when it was given to them, and then ask for money

-    There are more than a 120 different tribes in Tanzania. Every person in Tanzania knows which tribe that they are from. People in the city may live and work the same no matter which tribe they originated from. The only difference that I have noticed in the city is that some people from different tribes may like different foods. If you ever come to Tanzania you will soon see how the children make their way into your heart. It is interesting to see how they make unique homemade toys to keep themselves entertained. They may use an old suitcase, scrap metal, a stick, or old wire formed into a little car. When watching them you quickly learn that they have nothing, yet they are so content. They find joy in everything that they do. They are most always smiling and laughing and are so friendly to visitors

-    The longer I live in Tanzania the more I learn that people are just people. We all have a lot of the same struggles, same personalities, same feelings. The poverty is what has the greatest impact on the people of Tanzania. It affects every aspect of life in Tanzania. It truly determines the culture and why people do what they do.The thing I like the least about this is the corruption and theft among the people especially among those who are in charge or has any sort of authority. But my favorite thing about the people in Tanzania is their hospitality and family togetherness.

Mannerisms

-    No matter who you are or where you are it is completely socially acceptable to pick your nose, and I mean really pick your nose. It can be quite awkward when a superior starts doing this in the midst of a conversation

-    People also burp all the time here and never say excuse me – it’s just a normal thing that everyone does any and everywhere. Sometimes I forget that this is acceptable and sometimes pause after someone burps, waiting for them to say “excuse me” but they just look at me funny

-          Something very surprising is that virtually everyone has cellphones! Even people who are extremely poor with no running water or electricity have cellphones and will answer them in any situation!

“Did you know….”

-    The writings around the edges of Kangas (wrap around skirts) range from armorous outpourings to pointed humor. For a sampling of what’s being said, see www.glcom.com/hassan/kanga.html

-    Tanzania has one of the lowest rates of secondary school enrolment in the world, with less than 7% of suitably aged youth enrolled

-     It’s common for a woman to drop her own name, and become known as Mama followed by the name of her oldest son (or daughter if she has no sons)

-     About 6% (59,000 sq km) of mainland Tanzania is covered by vast inland lakes

-     In addition to boasting Africa’s highest mountain, Kilimanjaro (5896m), Tanzania also has the continents lowest point – the floor of lake Tanganyika, at 358m below sea level